Louis Orr (1876 - 1966)

Master etcher and artist Louis Orr was born May 19, 1876 in Hartford, Connecticut and returned there after a brief residency in New Jersey when his father died suddenly in 1892. Orr aspired to secure training and used a $350 scholarship to fund nearly two years of study in Paris. Upon his return, he worked for The Hartford Times and studied at the Art Students League. In 1911, Orr returned to Paris and studied at the Académie Julian under Jean Paul Laurens. During the First World War, he joined the French Army as an official artist and it was in this capacity that he produced – at much risk to life and limb – the etchings of Reims Cathedral that launched his career and brought him widespread international recognition. In 1919, Orr was made a Chevalier (knight) of the French Legion of Honor, and in 1930 became an Officier.

While Orr would live in France until 1940, he returned to the United States periodically and on these visits published a number of portfolios depicting the notable buildings of various American colleges and universities . In 1928, he published a portfolio of fourteen etchings depicting American ports. In Paris, he made the acquaintence of Robert Humber, a prominent North Carolinian who was instrumental in persuading him to temporarily settle there in 1940, when Orr began a twelve year project that produced fifty highly prized etchings celebrating the cultural history of the state and its institutions. Orr remained active to the end of his life, dividing his time between his Paris apartment and a small apartment and studio in Hartford.

Louis Orr (1876 - 1966)

Master etcher and artist Louis Orr was born May 19, 1876 in Hartford, Connecticut and returned there after a brief residency in New Jersey when his father died suddenly in 1892. Orr aspired to secure training and used a $350 scholarship to fund nearly two years of study in Paris. Upon his return, he worked for The Hartford Times and studied at the Art Students League. In 1911, Orr returned to Paris and studied at the Académie Julian under Jean Paul Laurens. During the First World War, he joined the French Army as an official artist and it was in this capacity that he produced – at much risk to life and limb – the etchings of Reims Cathedral that launched his career and brought him widespread international recognition. In 1919, Orr was made a Chevalier (knight) of the French Legion of Honor, and in 1930 became an Officier.

While Orr would live in France until 1940, he returned to the United States periodically and on these visits published a number of portfolios depicting the notable buildings of various American colleges and universities . In 1928, he published a portfolio of fourteen etchings depicting American ports. In Paris, he made the acquaintence of Robert Humber, a prominent North Carolinian who was instrumental in persuading him to temporarily settle there in 1940, when Orr began a twelve year project that produced fifty highly prized etchings celebrating the cultural history of the state and its institutions. Orr remained active to the end of his life, dividing his time between his Paris apartment and a small apartment and studio in Hartford.

Ports Of America - Title Sheet

Etching, 1928; edition not stated. Image size 12½” x 17½”; sheet size 14” x 19”. Published by Yale University Press, from the portfolio Ports Of America. This, the title sheet, consists of a number of vignettes and large view of New York harbor, and is signed in pencil by Orr in the lower margin.

A wonderful series of images, Ports Of America is in effect a series of freeze frames, which capture the energy and scope of the American maritime scene at the height of the great 1920s boom. In this era harbors were emphatically workplaces, unadorned by high-priced residential development and by the intrusion of trendy boutiques and galleries.

These etchings are especially interesting in their portrayal of both steel and wooden hulls during this transitional period, in effect the twilight of sail in commerce that was all but obliterated by the coming Great Depression. Very good condition.

$425

New York

Etching on cream wove Arches paper, 1928; edition not stated. Image size 12” x 7½”; sheet size 14” x 19”. Published by Yale University Press, from the portfolio Ports Of America. Titled and signed by the artist in pencil in the lower margin. A wonderful view of the lower West Side viewed from New Jersey and showing an enormous passenger liner - possibly the Mauretania or her twin, the Aquitania - embarking on an Atlantic crossing; in the foreground, a freighter at anchor is receiving a coat of paint. Fine

$750

Boston

Etching on cream wove Arches paper, 1928; edition not stated. Image size 11-5/8" x 8-7/8"; sheet size 14” x 19”. Published by Yale University Press, from the portfolio Ports Of America. This plate shows the Boston Fish Pier as it appeared in 1928, surrounded by a flotilla of wooden hulled fishing boats. Titled and signed in pencil by Orr in the lower plate margin.

$1,200

Philadelphia

Etching on cream wove Arches paper, 1928; edition not stated. Image size 9" x 7-3/8"; sheet size 14” x 19”. Published by Yale University Press, from the portfolio Ports Of America. This etching is dominated by the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, then three years old and at the time the longest suspension bridge span in the world. Titled and signed by Orr in the lower plate margin.

$900

Hampton Roads

Etching on cream wove Arches paper, 1928; edition not stated. Image size 11-1/8" x 7-5/8"; sheet size 14” x 19”. Published by Yale University Press, from the portfolio Ports Of America. Situated at the convergence of three rivers, Hampton Roads is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. There the U. S. Navy established what at one time was the largest naval base in the world. This etching shows the interwar fleet then based there at anchor. Titled and signed in pencil by Orr in the lower plate margin. Fine.

$500

Savannah

Etching on cream wove Arches paper, 1928; edition not stated. Image size 9-3/8" x 8¼"; the sheet has been trimmed to 14” x 15¼”, presumably for framing. Published by Yale University Press, from the portfolio Ports Of America. Signed in the plate and titled and signed in pencil by Orr in the lower plate margin. Faintly toned, with a small stain in the upper left corner of the image, a very small spot at the lower edge of the sheet, and finger soiling on the reverse. Very good.

$675

New Orleans

Etching on cream wove Arches paper, 1928; edition not stated. Image size 7-3/8" x 9-3/4"; sheet size 14” x 19”. Published by Yale University Press, from the portfolio Ports Of America. Three veteran flat-bottomed craft provide a backdrop for the file of stevedores loading the classic steamboat in the middle position. All are dwarfed by the modern steel freighter in the background. A wonderful image in fine condition. Matted and framed using archival materials.

SOLD

Chicago

Etching on cream wove Arches paper, 1928; edition not stated. Image size 6-5/8" x 11-3/8"; sheet size trimmed to 12-3/4" x 18”, presumably for framing. Published by Yale University Press, from the portfolio Ports Of America. Signed in the plate and titled and signed in pencil by Orr in the lower plate margin. Fine.

$750

Cleveland

Etching on cream wove Arches paper, 1928; edition not stated. Image size 9-1/8" x 7½"; sheet size 14" x 19". Published by Yale University Press, from the portfolio Ports Of America. Titled and signed in pencil by Orr in the lower plate margin. Fine.

$475

Buffalo

Etching on cream wove Arches paper, 1928; edition not stated. Image size 7-1/8" x 8-3/4"; sheet size 14" x 19". Published by Yale University Press, from the portfolio Ports Of America. Titled and signed in pencil by Orr in the lower plate margin. Fine.

$525

Duluth

Etching on cream wove Arches paper, 1928; edition not stated. Image size 8¼" x 6½"; sheet size 14" x 19". Published by Yale University Press, from the portfolio Ports Of America. Titled and signed in pencil by Orr in the lower plate margin. Fine.

$225

San Francisco

Etching on cream wove Arches paper, 1928; edition not stated. Image size 9-7/8" x 7"; sheet size 14" x 19". Published by Yale University Press, from the portfolio Ports Of America. The sea of masts and rigging contrasts with the modern city in the background. Titled and signed in pencil by Orr in the lower plate margin. A beautiful, anachronistic image. Fine.

$875

Seattle

Etching on cream wove Arches paper, 1928; edition not stated. Image size 9-5/8" x 7-3/4"; sheet size 14" x 19". Published by Yale University Press, from the portfolio Ports Of America. Titled and signed in pencil by Orr in the lower plate margin. Fine.

$425

Baltimore

Etching on cream wove Arches paper, 1928; edition not stated. Image size 6-3/4" x 11"; sheet size 14" x 19". Published by Yale University Press, from the portfolio Ports Of America. A panoramic view of the busy harbor below, together with the index for the portfolio Signed in the plate. Fine.

Etching on Rives paper, 1917; edition not stated. Image size 14-3/4” x 24”; sheet size 20-7/8” x 29½”. Printed by Chalcographie du Louvre, Paris. A superb impression but with significant toning and two small tears at the extreme left edge of the sheet.